Generation X
by lavonnadarc
Summary: A new character joins the ranks of serenity. friend or foe no one knows. some romance.
1. Chapter 1

FireFly

Generation x

The world was in chaos. Every one fighting against the alliance now that they knew the truth. Alliance soldiers were falling when ever they crossed the wrong people. One of the those people of course was Mal Reynolds, captain of the Serenity. It had been a year since Miranda, and jobs had picked up. And almost every time there was a scrap with a soldier or two... or twenty. It didn't phase Mal in the least. He had Zoe there to help him. And she was not willing to give up her revenge when ever it reared its ugly head.

This time the job was easy, almost like the old days. In and out with no complications. Mal and Zoe brought new cargo aboard with three new passengers. A girl and two older gentlemen. The job was easy and not as illegal as usual. Just a supply drop.

"hey captain how's it going?" Kaylee asked smiling as Mal boarded the ship.

"shiny Kaylee girl, tell river to warm her up. We have a drop to make." Mal replied.

"m'kay captain."

River was on the bridge waiting her orders from her captain. She was somewhat normal now, able to sleep now that the souls from Miranda were put to rest. Now her mind wandered absorbing the thoughts of the crew and passengers. For instance, she knew the captain was sending Kaylee to give her orders to get the ship going. And so she did. Before Kaylee even made it up the steps.

She could hear Kaylee laugh and turn around, and instead of saying it out loud she said in her mind a small praise. River wished she could send a thanks back with out hollering down the stairs but she couldn't. She could hear the thoughts of others, but could not make them hear her. Except one... a mind rummaging through hers as she started the through atmo. A familiar mind, that of another she use to know. At first it startled her and then she was excited. But she had to wait. Once out atmo she would find the other...

and seconds after leaving atmo the auto pilot was set and she was on her way down to the cargo hold. There captain was telling the passengers the rules of the ship. She stood in the back and waited for him to finish. And there she was... a girl from rivers not to distant past. Her sister in arms. Sylvia reign, not like river but made by the same people. A genetic soldier is what she had said they had called her. Her senses heightened, her speed and strength doubled, and like river an amazing sense of telepathy. She was no normal girl. She was like river in more ways then one. And as excited as river was to see her, she was also scared.

Once the captain was finished she approached Sylvia and smiled. Sylvia smiled too, and took river into her arms. Captain stared at the exchange curiously not knowing what was going on... and then Sylvia looked up at him seeming to feel his uneasy vibe.

"sorry there captain, I didn't realize lil' river was on board. In many senses she is like my little sister... I looked after her at the academy, before they took her away to hurt her... before they got me... now don't worry captain, they aren't worried about finding their failed experiments like river and I, they more worried about regaining peace."

sylvia explained quickly.

"I... what?... Gorrammit what the hell is going on!?!" the captain demanded

"I just told you captain, and if your looking for any knew crew members I think you will find I can be an asset."

Captain just stared dumbfounded at the passenger. His hand twitching towards his pistol, but before it even left its holster the girl was standing behind him his gun in hand...

(disclaimer: I do not own any original characters, settings, names ect. From the firefly series. Thank you)


	2. Chapter 2

Firefly: generation x

chapter two

"like I said captain, I think you will find me to be an asset to your crew." Sylvia smiled.

River couldn't help but to laugh at the teasing way Sylvia threatened captain. She knew Sylvia wasn't going to hurt any one, she was just making a point. And Mal caught the point easily. He didn't need a snake bite to realize this girl was top-notch in her field. And with a flip of the wrist Sylvia turned the gun and held it out to Mal. He took it and smirked an uneasy smile.

"how? What in the world are you? No human can move like that." he demanded.

"I will explain it to you, I am just looking for a semi permanent home, if you'll have me. I won't cause no trouble captain, and I can assure you I can come in handy when it comes to your line of work." Sylvia replied.

"I say we let her stay captain." Jayne said from the catwalk.

"your choice wouldn't happen to be based on our new passengers good looks would it Jayne?" Mal asked

He wasn't far off, Sylvia was a looker. Her mousy hair braided back, and her tawny eyes were like a cats. Her body was thin but muscular. Jayne shrugged at the captains question, as if saying "you know the answer.". And then the captain hit the com.

"everyone on my crew, meeting in the mess hall, now. And you, lets go."

Sylvia shrugged and followed the captain to the mess hall. There he pointed to a chair and told her to wait. River sat close to Sylvia almost protectively. Simon and Kaylee were the first to join them and then Jayne and Zoe. They sat around the table and waited. Inara was last and she joined them all just as the captain stood to address them.

"we have a passenger requesting a job as a crew member, but before I make any decision I want her to tell all of us what her story is. I will see how it goes from there. Sylvia? You have the floor."

Sylvia stood in front of every one and river watched from behind. She didn't need to listen she knew what her friend was going to say.

"well you obviously know River's story. I, like her, am from the academy. But unlike her, I was genetically altered. They used what is called gene therapy, replacing some of my normal DNA with that of traits from animals. Animals like cats, dogs, and my favorite sharks. They trained me to be a soldier, but it ain't my kind of work. I don't like murdering innocent people in their sleep. So I escaped. It ain't hard for someone like me. I can hear the thoughts of anyone one with dim or open minds, I can hear the movements of another from meters away, and I can smell fear on anyone who decides to pick a fight. I ain't normal in any sense, but I do have compassion, and I do know right from wrong. I am just looking for a home and a job, if you'll have me."

everyone just stared at her, dumbfounded by her story. They didn't seem scared just curious. And so the captain stood next Sylvia and asked them all...

"well what do you all think? Should we keep her?"

"can't hurt anything, and we could use the extra manpower these days. She could come in handy." Zoe shrugged

"you already got my vote." Jayne smiled

everyone else just nodded and river jumped up and hugged her friend again. Simon flinched a little at the exchange. He didn't trust the new girl. But he had to trust Mal and Zoe...


	3. Chapter 3

Firefly: generation x

chapter three

Sylvia bunked down in the crew dorm. She was able to catch the last open bunk near the mess. She was comfortable with the crew particularly the Jayne fella. He caught her interest right after his comment in the cargo bay. He was a mess when he came to woman, that was obvious. But she couldn't help noticing his good looks herself. Everyone on the crew seemed good looking? Pretty people leading a not so pretty life. But the others were different, not rugged like Jayne or her... they were soft but broken... maybe from the war... maybe from life...

Sylvia climbed down into her bunk and dropped her bag. She was exhausted. But she had things to take care of. Like her little sister sneaking up on her for one. River was quiet but not quiet enough. And Sylvia laughed out loud at river's attempt to be sneaky.

"hello little sister..." she said not turning around.

She could almost hear river pout in defeat. River was always pouty when Sylvia beat her in her little games. But she could never beat river in knowing more. Like this very moment...

"he wants you bad, in his bunk, in his bed... Jayne wants you..." river giggled

Sylvia sighed, she knew Jayne was a perv! And now river knows it too... can't anyone keep their thoughts to themselves? And she turned to her little sister with a mischievous smile on her face...

"anyone else like me? Or are they scared?" she asked river

"everyone likes sylvy... except Simon, sylvy scares Simon..."

Sylvia was a little shocked at the words river spoke. She never thought Simon would fear her... maybe cause no one ever really trusted her. Not when she was from the alliance. A freak experiment made in a lab. She needed her meds soon to or she would end up getting real sick, real fast...

"we are both freaks... lab made monsters... I am sorry sylvy... Simon will help you with your medicine..." river said waving her to follow.

"what the hell, I aint got anything better to do..." and she followed river up the ladder and to the infirmary.

It was bright like the labs back at the academy and she felt rivers mind cringe at the thought of entering. Sylvia knew why. What the academy did to the two of them was not right and completely unnatural. But at least Sylvia's mind was intact, where rivers wasn't...

"go get your brother, you don't have to come in with me baby girl..." she said to the scared girl next to her.

Sometimes she felt like a mother to river. Maybe cause she was in her mid-twenties, and river was still a child. She was always the big sister, or the mother hen. Never the one being protected or loved by someone older. River nodded to her and danced away to find her brother. Sylvia stood at the entrance to the infirmary, unable to move. It wasn't fear, or any other immobilizing emotion. She just didn't like labs, or needles... she hated them and she hated the people who made her hate them... finally she stepped into the bright room, cringing at the light.

"so what kind of medicine are you needing?" Simon asked from behind her.

"it's a protein cocktail that keeps me from going into a comatose state. There's seizures and vomiting involved too, so can we get on with it?" she asked in a cranky voice.

Simon walked over to the counter and pulled out four almost identical bottles. Then he pulled out a sterile syringe. Sylvia just looked away. She hated having these damn needles. She needed them once every six weeks. And the worse part was where she need them stuck... she blinked remembering the last stinging needle...

"you might want to leave me to it, I don't like others giving me this shot... besides river doesn't want to see where I have to put it..." she explained taking the cocktail.

"and where is that...?" Simon asked...

"in my eye..." Sylvia said evilly regretting her tone immediately.

"how do you know what to put in this?" she asked more nicely.

"any cocktail has your basic vitamins and proteins, I just figured to add the same med I give river..." he replied sadly and he left trailing river after him.

"i hate needles..." Sylvia said and she took the needle and slowly guided it into her tear duct, past her eye socket and pushed the medicine into her body. The meds began working almost instantly, but she convulsed, throwing her body to the floor. She was so glad that she had removed her needle before this happened. It was a possibility every time she took her meds. Having convulsions, and... her head fell forward and she vomited into the waste basket. Just in time for Zoe and Mal to walk in to the room with med supplies.

"what the hell?" Mal asked concerned

"just... a … side...effect..." Sylvia replied.

Simon entered after she spoke and bent to help her up. It was hard to move her body kept tightening and loosening and her arms wanted to jerk. Simon got her onto the bed and took her pulse.

"your pulse is erratic, this is normal?" he asked panicked.

"yes... I... have a seizure with the doses... but in the... long run... it keeps... me from getting... worse ones..." she tried to spit out through her clenched jaw and she began to count... "one...two...three...four... five..."

by the time she got to ten she stopped convulsing. Her head fell against the bed and she sighed deeply... Simon walked over to her and Mal and Zoe watched.

"you could have told me the meds were going to make you sick..." Simon complained.

"they always have, even at the academy... doesn't river?" she asked curiously...

but Simon stopped her with a shake of his head.

"she never got sick like you... not like that.... she's only thrown up when she takes it... but you were having a neurological seizure... I haven't seen anyone survive those... how?" he asked

Sylvia stared towards the captain then to Zoe, and back to Simon. How could she explain to them...? she tried anyway...

"because of the shark DNA, my body reprogrammed to not need sleep. I sleep, I die. Thats why I need to avoid the coma state. And that is why the sedative attributes of my meds give me seizures. My body was fighting sleep... I know weird, isn't it? I hate it myself, especially the fact that I have to give myself the needle. That I have to be a freak..."

the explanation made her angry and she stared at her hands in her lap. Everyone just stared. even the little girl in the doorway...

"sylvy sick, but I still love you..." river sang at her sadly.

Sylvia looked at the girl and smiled again, her jaw screaming at the movement. She will be hurting tomorrow.

"well you okay to work the next job?" Mal asked as if nothing happened.

"yes sir, looking forward to it." she replied and she hopped off the bed and walked over to river. She wrapped her arm around her little sister and smiled over her shoulder at Simon.

"i love her to you know, she is the only family I have." she said to him

"i know and I am sorry I doubted you." Simon replied with a nod.

(till next time ppls! Sorry the update took so long.... and yes it is kinda a 'dark angel' crossover with out the characters, just the theme... hope you like)


	4. Chapter 4

Firefly: generation x

chapter four

The job was normal for Mal. Little bit of complications, and a little bit of blood. No one got hurt, except the employers. Sylvia moved faster than every man there. Once proven that Mal had no guns, just a very pretty bodyguard the deal was made. A drop on a moon planet on the outer rim.

Mal, Zoe, Jayne, and Sylvia road the mule aboard serenity, laughing as they remembered one of the men begging for Sylvia not to hit him. He was not the brightest thug there. River danced up to the mule, greeting them with a smile.

"how did it go?" she asked, curious.

"not bad, Sylvia here was better than she said she was going to be. Kept me from getting shot." Mal said with a grin

river smiled up at Sylvia and walked over. She was searching Sylvia's thoughts, searching for the memory of the job. She laughed a little as Sylvia remembered it for her. The sight of Sylvia knocking out five men in less then a minute then shooting two men on the catwalks with one of their guns. One man pleading for her not to hit him. River giggled harder at the sight of the man peeing his pants.

"you were really scary... and they thought you were too..." river stated

Sylvia just stared, did little river mean the crew? Or did she mean the men she had taken down on the job? The words made her feel awkward, and very uncomfortable. She didn't like to be scary, in any way. She didn't like thinking that she would be a nightmare in anyones mind like the men and woman from the academy were to her. She shook her head and refocused her thoughts, knowing that river was still tuning in. she smiled down at the girl she loved so much, knowing it wasn't her fault that the truth hurt. It was just how things were.

"sorry kiddo, didn't even think about it till now. Was I that bad?" she asked her little sister

"no, I don't think so..." river smiled again.

"Don't judge yourself Sylvia, you kept us safe and we appreciate everything you did today. Especially the not letting them shoot me part. You did good." Mal reassured her.

Sylvia smiled at her captain. He seemed the fatherly type. She liked that. She couldn't remember her father as hard as she tried, but something about Mal gave her a familiar feeling. Like an emotion long lost. A memory no longer there. She jumped down from the mule and shrugged.

"no judging on my part, just got worry about others judging me. And your welcome, after all it was my job, right?" she said as she passed the captain. He just looked after her with one of his usual smirks on his face.

She walked back to her bunk room, grabbing one of the oranges Inara had bought early, from the mess. She climbed down into her room and kicked off her boots. The orange was sweet and she just ate it slowly, savoring it. She liked quiet moments. Especially after an entire day of dealing with everyone else's thoughts screaming at her. She just sat on her bunk ans concentrated on the quiet.

Quiet didn't last long, as her door opened and some one climbed down into her bunk. It was river carrying Sylvia's share from the job. Sylvia must have forgotten it in her hurry to get away from everyone's thoughts. But just not thoughts, but feelings. To much excitement can make a person feel like they are going to have a heart attack. Add that to the major migraine and Sylvia would have screamed if she could have. But here she was staring at river, wondering what she wanted. Not like she cared if river was there. It was the one mind that never bothered her. A mind that was soothing. Like swimming in a warm lake on a quiet summer day. She was just wondering what was making the girl smile that way... as if she had just heard a dirty secret... and then it hit her... Jayne.

"Jayne still thinking wrong things, little sister?" Sylvia asked amused and angry at the same time.

"he wants you more than before... you were driving him crazy... he sounded desperate, many dirty thoughts." river giggled

"I think I will have to take care of this..." Sylvia said jumping up and heading for the door.

" you need to not listen to Jayne's thoughts little river, you may be 18, but your still a kid. His thoughts are to graphic... trust me I know..." she said heading for the ladder, and starting to fume.

"don't hurt him..." river called giggling

Sylvia knew that river would get a kick out of her sister kicking the garram crap outta Jayne... and she intended on doing just that....

(now I know its got a slight crossover factor in it, but I am leaning toward AU as well... don't worry she ain't gonna hurt Jayne to much... lol)


End file.
